People forced out their flats by a “terrifying” blaze nearly a year ago could finally be allowed back home by the end of the summer.
Tenants living in adjoining properties in Richmond Street in and Richmond Walk were evacuated as a fire ravaged the building last year.
Stefan Kubina was jailed for 45 months, having started the blaze on February 12 last year while hallucinating on drugs.
It was estimated the flames had caused nearly £400,000 worth of damage.
Aberdeen City Council has now launched a search for firms to repair the “substantial damage” to the four-storey tenement.
Drug user jailed after setting fire to an Aberdeen flat because his guitar was ‘talking to him’
The estimated four-month project will include repairs to the individual properties and a stairwell – and could include joinery, plumbing, electrical, gas central heating, floor covering and decoration.
Work to repair the roof and make the building wind and watertight is ongoing.
Council bosses estimate work to make the block structurally secure will be completed “in the coming weeks”, weather permitting.
The local authority owns five of the eight affected properties.
Before sentencing at Aberdeen Sheriff Court in October, Kubina’s solicitor Stuart Beveridge admitted his client had set his guitar alight as he believed it was “talking to him”.
The fire then spread throughout the terraced tenements.
There were five people in the burning building when the 34-year-old walked out, without warning them of any danger.
He was later caught by police at the city’s railway station, reeking of smoke and trying to leave for Glasgow.
This latest work will another step towards getting people back living in the building.
Even eight months after the blaze, when Kubina was sentenced, residents had still only been allowed half an hour in their homes to collect belongings.
Last night Rosemount councillor Bill Cormie welcomed the latest milestone, and said: “This has been a long time coming but at long last there is progress being made.
“People have been concerned about why the building has lain empty so long but these things do take time.
“But soon it will be brought up to standard and people will be able to move in again.
“It was a very frightening experience for people in that building to go through and the man behind it all was quite terrifying.”
An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman said: “The council’s in-house design team have prepared comprehensive design proposals together with a full specification for the reinstatement of the damaged flats.
“Following recent approval of the consent of all the insured parties for Aberdeen City Council to act as agents for respective owners, phase two works have now been advertised.
“They are currently programmed to be carried out spring/summer 2020, weather and contractor permitting.”
